Assemblyman Miller Won’t Return From Florida For Session “Ruse”

Assemblyman Joel Miller is on vacation on the east coast of Florida, where the temperature is about 80 degrees and taxes are much lower. He doesn’t plan to return to Albany this week for a potential special session, saying he doesn’t support new taxes on the wealthy.

“I’m not flying back from Florida so that I can be part of another ruse,” Miller, R-Poughkeepsie, said.

“Bush said read my lips. Cuomo said it. It’s the easy and cowardice way out,” Miller continued. “The idea is to stop the spending. There is no other choice in a state that taxes as heavily as we do.”

Miller, an outspoken Assembly Republican, said returning to Albany for a likely special session would be pointless, saying the Capitol is controlled by the infamous three-men-in-a-room.

“Am I coming back for the session so I can watch the Senate sell out in a heartbeat? I don’t think so,” Miller said. “There is nothing we could accomplish in the face of (Assembly Speaker) Shelly Silver and the attitude that we have to keep spending.”

Miller said he believes Cuomo was faced with the prospect of Silver not going along with any additional spending cuts if he didn’t back higher taxes on the wealthy.

“With three men in a room, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, if you’re not one of those three men, you’re impact in the system is vapor,” Miller said.